Judy, Judy, Judy

It was a given this fall.  I would see "Judy" as quickly as I would see "Downton Abbey."  Whereas I checked out the latter on its first weekend, the Dodgers' playoff run kept me away from the former longer than I thought.  

But, as soon as the Dodgers did their early and unexpected check-out, I made a beeline to Miss Garland.  It was my first step in baseball detox this October.

And, boy, did it ever!!!

Okay, regular readers know that I am a fan of Judy.   This was handed down to me by my mother, who was a huge devotee.  Had I been born a girl, Judy would have been my name.   I had my mother's ashes interred in Ferncliff Cemetery near Judy for about 20 years...until Liza and company moved their mom out to Hollywood Forever.

Long story short.  There are connections.

So, naturally, I was a mite skeptical about Renee Zellweger playing Garland. But, as soon as she showed up on the screen, I was mesmerized.   Renee not only portrayed Judy, but she became her.   The mannerisms.  The facial tics.  The walk.   It was all there.   And, as a result, Zellweger gives a bravura performance that is sure to win at least an Oscar nomination.  My only fear is that diversity-conscious Hollywood will present the Best Actress to whichever nominee is Black, Hispanic, Asian, or transgendering.   If they bypass Renee, it will be a huge crime.

Now, of course, you wonder how Renee Zellweger could possibly become Judy Garland vocally.   Well, in a wise acting choice, she does not.   No one could duplicate that sound.  But Zellweger puts her own take on the five or six songs she does from the Garland songbook.   And while it doesn't sound like Judy, it's still unmistakably Judy.

This marvelous film directed by Rupert Goold is actually based on a Broadway play "End of the Rainbow" that I saw myself at the Ahmanson Theater a few years back.  It tells the tale of Judy's last months of life.   Working at a London nightclub "The Talk of the Town" and still experiencing the major ups and downs of life that had enveloped her existence ever since she worked for Louis B. Mayer at MGM.  

While the play pretty much was set in Judy's hotel room, the movie branches out further and even employs some flashbacks to her youth on the set of "Wizard of Oz" as well as some orchestrated dates with a young Mickey Rooney.  The shifting back and forth works to show that the external damage that Judy endured as a child never really left.  She was tortured the same way...at 17 and at 47.

While there's not much I don't already know about Judy Garland, this film was still eye-opening and presented Judy in ways I had never seen before.  Moreover, it reaffirmed that this woman was an exceptional talent that will never ever be duplicated.

Indeed, while this is a movie about Judy Garland, it is also very much Renee Zellweger's greatest cinematic work.  I think, in a way, that Judy herself would be proud to see how Renee portrayed her.   

This is one not to be missed this fall.  Even if your baseball team is still in the post season hunt.

Bravo.  Brava.

LEN'S RATING:  Four stars.

Dinner last night:  Leftover meat loaf.